I like to think I’m on top of motoring news and gossip, but I have to confess I was nothing short of gobsmacked by something I read this week. I was compiling a ‘news review of the year’ feature for a magazine and had to write some stuff about the cars which debuted at March’s Geneva Motor Show. Not surprisingly, one of the undoubted stars of the event, the Porsche 918 Spyder, figured prominently. What had passed me by at the time was that this plug-in hybrid concept can lap the legendary Nurburgring in Germany faster than its spiritual predecessor, the Carrera GT, and yet it only produces 70g/km of CO2. I’ve struggled to find a comparable figure for the Carrera GT – I’m not sure Porsche ever made it public – but given its 5.7-litre V10 took the two-seater to 60mph in 3.5 seconds, my guess is it was closer to 370g/km. It’s a graphic illustration of just how much automotive powertrain technology has come on in the last few years. The great news is that Porsche bosses announced during the summer that they will build the 918 Spyder. Under the bonnet will be a race-derived mid-mounted 493bhp 3.4-litre V8 plus twin hybrid motors that together offer offer another 215bhp. Can’t wait.
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